A new teacher Mr Traill arrives at a school in Cornwall and comes into conflict with long established teacher Mr. Perrin. At first it is only about trivial things but soon escalates until eventually coming to a crisis. In the mix is Mr Traill's growing interest in the school nurse Isobel Lester whom Mr Perrin has always desired. It is a fine film that portrays well the insular world of a boarding school with perfect cinematography by Erwin Hillier and an atmospheric music score by Allan Gray.
Anchoring the film is a great performance by Marius Goring as Perrin, whose descent into almost madness is brilliantly portrayed, but then the actor is always interesting in any role he played in movies. This must be one of his best though. Among the other players Raymond Huntley stands out as the sadistic headmaster Moy-Thompson. Lawrence Huntington is an underrated director but he was a proficient film maker and this is definitely one of his best.
The original novel by Hugh Walpole (a good read in itself) has two different endings, one for the UK market and one for the US. The ending to this film is the UK one, which I think is the better one.
Anchoring the film is a great performance by Marius Goring as Perrin, whose descent into almost madness is brilliantly portrayed, but then the actor is always interesting in any role he played in movies. This must be one of his best though. Among the other players Raymond Huntley stands out as the sadistic headmaster Moy-Thompson. Lawrence Huntington is an underrated director but he was a proficient film maker and this is definitely one of his best.
The original novel by Hugh Walpole (a good read in itself) has two different endings, one for the UK market and one for the US. The ending to this film is the UK one, which I think is the better one.